Something Else Saturday - 7 Reasons to Shop Your Local Restore

Lately I've had to break the news to my favorite thrift store that there's someone else. That's right, my new obsession is the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Oh-eM-Gosh. They have new items for sale at cheaper prices. They have used and/or vintage items for sale at even cheaper prices.


You might have read my recent blog post about the Gears of War 3 entertainment stand we created from a $10 cabinet we bought at the ReStore. This past Thursday I visited the one in Lancaster, PA (over 2 hours away from my home) to check out a vintage diner booth to see if it would be a good fit for the rest of the living room.

If you are a fan of the ReStore, then consider this your virtual fist bump. And if you've not yet visited, then here are seven reasons why you should.

1. There is something new every time you go in. I love all the restores in my area for different reasons. For instance, the one in Frederick, Maryland has great prices on tile and antique tools. However, the one in Winchester, Virginia has great prices on cabinets (as you can see by Thursday's blog post), wood trim, and best of all you can buy "Useless Junk $1 Per Handful". I can't leave the place without getting just a little junk drunk, to borrow a phrase from Mike at American Pickers.
2.  The staff is amazing. They're always friendly, always willing to help, and always interested in "What are you going to do with THAT?" We've never met a staff member who wasn't friendly.
3. Donating to the ReStore keeps things out of landfills, which means helping the environment. Who doesn't want to help the environment? Do you even know where your trash goes after you set it on the curb?
4. Proceeds benefit Habitat For Humanity, which helps provide people with better homes -- or just a home period, where they might not have been afforded that kind of opportunity before. Everyone deserves a chance. My personal motto is, if I can't give my time I'll certainly make a point to shop there!
5. Cheap prices! We've been hard pressed to find thrift stores or hardware stores (or really, any stores) that compare to the low, low, super-duper-low prices on items at the ReStore. I get to support my shopping habit while also supporting a worthy cause AND save money. It's a win-win from all points of view.
6. Find buried treasure. No, you will not be out on their lawn with a shovel following a set number of paces to an "X" that marks the spot where to dig. Their buried treasure is even more fun. Vintage porcelain doorknobs (sometimes with the other hardware such as a lock and key), typewriter keys, skeleton keys, mason jars, small pieces of marble tile, and just about anything you'd need to copy a project on Pinterest (see below) is out there waiting to be found by you!
7. If you like upcycle projects on Pinterest, you will find just about anything for any project at the ReStore. I saw this necklace:
   
   
   
   
   And made this copycat model from stuff I found at the ReStore and a bead I had lying around. (The paper wrapping the metal washer was cut from a free guide about paint selection that I found at Home Depot.) I kind of like mine better. What do you think?
   
   
   

Have you ever shopped the ReStore? Planning to visit one in your area? What are your favorite types of thrift stores and/or upcycle projects? Thanks for stopping by, and remember - I'd love to read all your comments!

Dawn and Becky's Big Craft Challenge - The Nontraditional Kitchen Item

During the month of July I'm teaming up with @Dragonflies-at-Dawn and friends for a little crafting challenge. Are you a craft-a-holic? Do you enjoy re-purposing or up-cycling things, breathing new life into them and possibly using them in ways their original creators never could have imagined? If you answered yes to any of this, then this challenge also extends to you!

The 3 W's

WHAT - An item that wasn't meant to be used in the kitchen.

WHERE - You can find it anywhere used goods are sold - thrift store, yard sale, flea market, ReStore, or even use something you already own that's somewhere else besides the kitchen.

WHAT - Now that you have your item, refurbish it into something that's definitely for use in the kitchen.

For example, this person took old wooden crates and upcycled them into cabinets. But we really don't expect you to do anything that elaborate. Unless, that is, you really want to wow us!

Please Share


We're showing off our fabulous "new" items at the end of July, and would love to share yours in a linky party. Did you see this on Pinterest? If so, please re-pin and get the word out. The more people who participate, the better! And if you have questions, please direct them to the comments section below.

Thrifty Thursday - Upcycled Cabinet Into a Gears of War TV Stand

Last Christmas the "family gift" was an Xbox 360 with a Gears of War 3 theme. We kept joking about redecorating the living room to match the cranberry and black colors on the gaming console.

Except last week, we found a used cabinet at our local ReStore for just $10 and the joking got serious. Throw in a trip to Home Depot where we paid $7 for a gallon of Oops paint, $5 for a can of textured black spray paint, and 51¢ board from the crap wood section and we just scored a custom-made entertainment center for under $25 total.

Here is a picture diary of the project from start to finish. Enjoy, and check back on Saturday when I list reasons why you should join me in shopping your local ReStore.

Former TV cabinet. It was too deep, too bulky, and a door recently fell off. A hand-me-down from a neighbor giving things away to lighten their load before moving several hours away, the piece had outlasted its usefulness.

Score! Cabinet for $10! Sadly, I did not get a picture before the doors and hardware were removed.

Cranberry red Oops! paint purchased at Home Depot for $7.

The stencil was as easy as tracing what was on the laptop screen and cutting out with an X-acto knife. 

Stencil taped in place, with newspaper taped around it to prevent spraying black in unwanted areas.

We peeled off the sections that we wanted to stay black, leaving the parts that were to stay red covered. Don't worry, we rolled the tape to make it double-stick to secure those middle areas.

As I sprayed I walked in a circle around the cabinet. This let the middle part get more black while leaving a stippled, airbrush-type effect under the very edges of the stencil.

Same type of stencil, post-spray painting.

Detail of the smaller doors.

And here it is in place! You can see how much closer it is to the wall and how the archery supplies in the corner behind the TV are much more accessible now as well.

And that's it! What projects have you tried? Ever been to a ReStore? Questions about one? I'd love to read all your comments in the section below!

Tastefully Tuesday - Shepherd's Slumgullion Stew

One night last week it was my turn to cook. However, I really didn't feel like trying to extinguish flames. Not to mention, Auntie is hovering like a lost spirit waiting to make an official appearance. Shepherd's pie seemed like a great choice since the oven hates me much, much less than the stove top.

The fireman offered to boil the potatoes, an act for which I was extremely grateful. Except I let them go too long, didn't drain them well enough, and then added too much butter and milk. Being slightly PMSy I let my creative side take over.

Back when the Fireman and I were first married, one of our firefighter friends invited us over for dinner. He was cooking something my dad used to make called Slumgullion. Basically, it's a kind of meat and noodle stew with whatever you have in the freezer or pantry to add in as a filler.

I took stock of what was on hand and then, pulling ingredients from the freezer and pantry, Auntie and I created a dish that I'm confident will make a repeat appearance, most of them coinciding with the days preceding her official unwanted visits. Without further ado, here's today's Tastefully Tuesday recipe.

Shepherd's Slumgullion Stew

If this picture is still here, it means I didn't replace it with the actual picture of what we actually cooked.
This is a bowl of turkey leftover stew that looks disturbingly similar.

Ingredients:

• enough potatoes cut and diced to fill a medium'ish-sized saucepan
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 2 cups of milk
• 2 cans of veggies (low sodium!)
• 1 pound of steak, pre-cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 entire container of Philadelphia Cream Cheese for Cooking, original flavor
• About half of a 16 ounce bag of store-brand cheddar cheese

Those last two items may sound pricey but if you live within reasonable distance to a Sharp Shopper grocery store, you can find a 1 pound package of TGIFriday's pre-cooked steak bites for $1.49, and the cream cheese for cooking in an entire array of flavors at 2 for $1.

Directions:

• Cook the potatoes about 20 minutes too long.
• Drain 3/4 of the water from the potatoes and mash about halfway.
• Add in the butter and milk, and finish mashing.
• Stir in the cream cheese.
• Add in the veggies, steak, cheese, and continue stirring until well-blended.

And that's it! The dish actually turns out more like potato soup loaded with vegetables, steak, and cheddar - which isn't a bad thing at all. I'd love to hear your cooking adventures in the comments section. Thanks for stopping by!

Something Else Saturday - Why We Skip Summer Vacation

By now a lot of schools have let out for the moment students and teachers look forward to all 180 days of the public school calendar year -- summer vacation! No more pencils! No more books! No more teacher's dirty looks! Yay! Only, not so yay if you live at my house because we home school year round.

That's right. We do school year round. Last week we finished up our 2011-2012 portfolio review, and the boys passed with flying colors. Phew! Planning the 2012-2013 school year started months ago, because we never really take a long break. School goes on year round, because life goes on year round.

We have some really great friends who also home school. We also have some really great friends who send their children to public school. Each family has to do what's best for their family. One thing they have in common is that most of them look forward to summer vacation. Many choose the time during June, July, and August to go on a family vacation, or at least a trip to the beach.

Our family doesn't do any of that. We home school during the summer because we'd rather be inside where it's air conditioned than outside in the hot, sticky, humid environment. This frees us up to take longer breaks in the fall and spring, often traveling when everyone else's kids are in school.

It's not uncommon for outsiders to look at our lives and accuse us of being on one big, long, extended vacation. A lot of times that's exactly what it feels like! Just a few months ago while millions of public school students were stuck in their classrooms, we were doing math on the beach in the Outer Banks. And a few weeks after that, we were enjoying learning the science of trains.

You might be wondering where we found a textbook on that topic. Textbooks? Ha! While we do use them for some subjects, and not necessarily the same topics two years in a row, we studied trains by researching online, reading information at the local library, and then - the coup de grace - a visit to the North Carolina Transportation Museum, where the boys spent time talking to a train conductor and riding in the engine with him on a 30 minute train ride. And finally, we spent a couple of hours at the museum studying exhibits inside the roundhouse, as well as a dozen or more different train engines, cars, and cabooses on display. It's worth mentioning that we live about an hour outside of Washington, DC and are nowhere near either of those places.

Our family is fortunate that the Fireman's job allows him such a relaxed schedule. The only reason I work is so we can travel. And because I freelance, I can work from anywhere in the world -- as long as I have my laptop and a WiFi connection. While our decision to home school was initially a way to stick it to the public school system (think Katniss versus the Capitol here...yeah, it was THAT bad) after a particularly horrible IEP meeting, but it's turned out to be a real blessing. The Fireman and I are better parents for it. We don't have to deal with a lot of pop culture that goes along with raising teenagers. But best of all, the boys are growing up to be regular smartass teenagers quite well-behaved young gentlemen.

Do you have any public school nightmares? Have you ever had a nightmare IEP like my good friend and fellow blogger over at Dragonflies@Dawn? Do you home school and dream about the day when your children will beg for you to send them into the public school system? If you have a moment, I'd love to read your comments about children and education!

Thrifty Thursday - Pool Noodle Wreath

My good friend from Dragonflies@Dawn recently blogged about how she was inspired by a craft she saw online and made a Father's Day wreath using a pool noodle. As the title of her post states, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. When I saw these little kid flip-flops at my local craft store, I couldn't resist getting them and followed up at Dollar Tree for the rest of the items. The pool noodle wreath instructions are also listed on Dawn's post.

Here is a reasonable facsimile of my supplies, sans the brown tweed-looking fabric:

And here is the finished product as it now hangs on the front door of my home. (Disregard the tape, it's residue from a former holiday that waits...and waits and waits...to be washed away.)

This project is so easy! And it's inexpensive. I'm already mentally planning a gardening-themed denim wreath that my in-laws can hang on the door of their potting shed. Have you ever tried it? What are your cool wreath ideas? I'd love to hear all your comments!

Tastefully Tuesday - Mexican Pizza

Today's feature is both tasty and thrifty. We first tried it after the Fireman (who normally does all the cooking around here) tore his rotator cuff at work and couldn't make us anything delicious and nourishing. We had to rely on my cooking, which at last check looked something like this:

That was the result of my boiling a pan of water. Yes, water. And yes, that white stuff is dry chem from the fire extinguisher. But, I digress. We were hungry, the Things were off on a camping adventure, and I really couldn't afford to eat out for the entire weekend (although I did give it hell). So it was with great caution that I entered into the kitchen with hopes of maintaining my friendship with the oven. I'd recently pinned this recipe for Mexican Tortilla Pizza and being too cheap to buy Taco Bell, I was all for experimenting.

I have to say they turned out delicious, so much that the Fireman asked to have them again later on that same week. They weren't only cheaper than Taco Bell's version, but they were also tastier and healthier. (Of course, downing a couple of pints of Sangria probably cancelled out the healthy part. Again, I digress.) Here's my own crafty version of the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Tortillas, any size - 2 per pizza, I used the really big ones for burritos

Spray'able olive oil - I used my Misto

Refried beans

Enchilada sauce

Chopped tomato (or halved grape tomatoes)

Shredded Mexican-flavor cheese - or like, Colby-Jack

Any other ingredients you use in your taco - We used steak

Salsa

Sour Cream

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to around 400 degrees, give or take depending on the altitude where you live and how persnickity your oven is about exact temps. This recipe really doesn't rely on the exact use of a specific temperature.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Or if you're like me, just use the foil pizza tray / cookie sheet from $1 Tree.

Mist both sides of 2 tortillas with olive oil.

Cook for about 5 mins per side or until they begin getting crisp. And when they're done leave the stove on. You'll need it later.

Emtpy can of refried beans in a bowl. If you used 2c of refried beans, mix with 1/2 c of enchilada sauce. Other measurements? You're on your own for the conversion, but the ratio of 2:1/2 seems to work okay. Don't be afraid to experiment.

Microwave that puppy. (Meaning, the refried beans and enchilada sauce. Please don't microwave a real puppy.)

Stir well. I use a wooden spoon.

On the first tortilla, coat with a generous amount of the beans, just as if you were spreading tomato sauce on a traditional pizza.

If it's not spicy enough for you at this point, add a little more enchilada sauce. This is usually when I add the meat. And a thin layer of cheese. Cheese is the bombdiggity.

Top with the second tortilla.

Top with more echilada sauce or, if you don't mind your salsa getting warm, salsa.

Top with more cheese.

Put them back in the oven and cook for about 10 more minutes, or until cheese is super melty.

Bring them out, put them on plates, top with salsa and sour cream, and then lettuce, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, or whatever else you want.

And finally, enjoy because they're sooooo good!

If you try these I'd love to hear your own variations and how it worked out for you. Thanks for stopping by, and have a tasteful Tuesday!

Happy Father's Day

This blog post is not dedicated to my dad. I know, that sounds pretty horrible, right? The post is dedicated to my husband, also known as "The Fireman". Instead of writing anything sentimental or goofy, I'm just going to share some pictures of our September 2006 trip to Ocean City, New Jersey. We've always enjoyed family trips, but this was one of the first that allowed us to spend time together, just the four of us. Enjoy, and Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.

The Fireman took the boys on their first ever visit to
the Ocean City, NJ Corvette show on the boardwalk.

Thing 1 and the Fireman watching girls on the beach together.

"But I just has to tell you ONE more thing!"
Thing 2 and his dad having a serious discussion at the beach.

Something Else Saturday - That Tastes Like Crap!

Ambergris is a hard, waxy, inflammable material. It is dark gray or black I color. It is created in the digestive system and, simply put, the excrement of sperm whales. Wikipedia states that freshly produced ambergris has a marine, fecal odor. As it ages, the substance takes on a sweet, earthy scent not unlike rubbing alcohol – but without the fumes and chemical acidity.

And it's one of the most sought-after whale-related substances in the world today. According to a Bloomberg Business Week article about ambergris, it sells for $20 per gram - just ten dollars per gram less than gold. Moby-Dick author Herman Melville described it as, "an essence found in the inglorious bowels of a sick whale." He went on to say that it was, "largely used in perfumery, in pastiles, precious candles, hair powders, and pomatum."

AMBERGRIS
Throughout history it's always been the big poo.

It’s completely true. Ambergris is the only "crap" that throughout history has been used as an ingredient for perfumes, cocktails, medicines, and sherbets. Someone told Casanova that it was an aphrodisiac and he added it to chocolate mousse. (Okay, if I weren’t allergic to chocolate mousse and someone else was buying, I’d probably try that last one, if I had enough drinks in me first.)

Ambergris has plenty of modern-day uses, primarily in Europe and Asia. "In 2005, a 200-year-old fragrance originally made for Marine Antoinette, which featured ambergris as a main ingredient, was reproduced in limited quantities for $11,000 per bottle," the Bloomberg article claims. It also remarks that ambergris was used by Andrew Stellitano, a UK food designer, to create a mince pie that sold for $4,700. Here are some other tasty uses for ambergris, according to a recent Smithsonian Magazine article about ambergris:

•           Tonic of chocolate, sugar, and ambergris
•           Pastries that included melted butter, ambergris, and roasted game
•           Folded into eggs, as tried by molecular biologist Christopher Kemp

Kemp claims that ambergris has an unmistakable smell that fills his sinuses. “The smell reminds me of leaf litter on a forest floor and of the delicate, frilly undersides of mushrooms that grow in damp and shaded places.” Right now in the United States it’s illegal to possess ambergris or any other part of a whale, much less cook with it (Thanks, Marine Mammal Protection Act!) which is good. I agree with my husband whose initial concern was for the whales being slaughtered for their much-desired ambergris, "If you've gone through your whole life without eating what crap, it's probably not something you're missing out on." I have eaten a few things in my lifetime that even not-picky eaters would consider adventurous, but whale excrement? No thanks!

Thrifty Thursday - Scrabble Family Portrait

These are really popular on Pinterest, and since I saw the first one I'd been wanting to make one to reflect my own family's uniqueness, especially since decluttering the china cabinet unearthed a velvet bag filled with Scrabble tiles. And they were on my list of things to look for at the Salvation Army...incredible!

In case you've not seen them, here are a few samples:

 

  

Cute, aren't they? I was especially interested in that one over on the right, with the family members' names set up like a crossword board. However, I didn't just want to add our names. I had an idea for adding more to the display and couldn't wait to get started.

The game board background didn't really interest me. Initially I wanted a map of Germany since both my husband's and my families hail from there, but the printer is low on color ink and it came out a lovely shade of fuchsia. Ha! While Peabody would have loved it, the boys? Not so much.

As this craft progressed I took plenty of pictures, so bear with me as I go through the steps. I promise the end is totally adorable and worth it.

• STEP 1 - Sort out the letters. See if they look better horizontal or vertical. I already knew how I wanted mine, and it was just by luck that it worked out.

• STEP 2 - Next I found some pictures online that represented our family. Fire department, trains, guitars, video games, a chef's hat, planes, and of course a flamingo for me. I arranged for 2 of each one, and knew I wouldn't use them all. However, in a craft like this, I'd rather print extras and not need them than vice versa.

  

• STEP 3 - Print out your pictures.

•  STEP 4 - I used a piece of black sketch paper and covered the back of the frame. The marred area on the bottom is where a piece of tape was stuck to the surface. A little soap and elbow grease will take care of that later.

• STEP 5 - Arrange the letters on the frame to make sure they'll fit. Even if you've already done this step on the paper itself, do it again. Remember that in crafts the rule of thumb is -- measure twice, and glue once!

• STEP 6 - Glue your letters in place. Any kind of craft/tacky glue will work. I used Elmers' brand. See how easy that was? (But take it from me, don't stand them up before the glue is at least tacky or they'll start sliding all over the place.)

•  STEP 7 - Now it's time to cut the images to the size of your tiles. I played it by ear. You could turn the picture upside down and lightly trace around the tile with a pencil.

•  STEP 8 - Because you measured twice, you can now glue the picture to the tile, like this....

• STEP 9 - Now it's time to glue the tile onto the board.

• STEP 10 - Go ahead and glue the rest of the picture tiles in place.

Here's a slightly closer view of the tiles.

All in all it took under an hour. Both my sons gave more input than a shrug and "looks nice" which is how they usually respond to my craft projects. The fireman is already in bed, so I can't wait until he sees it tomorrow. Although this would make a great Father's Day gift, we already have something else in mind for him.

Have you made one of these before? Do you have a suggestion for how to use the rest of the Scrabble tiles in my bag? I'd love to hear all your thoughts. Thanks for checking in, and have a Thrifty Thursday!

Tastefully Tuesday - Waffle Iron Cooking

Waffle irons aren't just for making waffles. Several years ago when I killed the heating element in my stove, our family turned to the grill for most of our cooking in the eight months it took us to decide on a replacement model.

Baking with Your Waffle Iron
We'd just begun home schooling and the curriculum included a geography unit that required making recipes from different countries. At first it wasn't a problem but then we encountered a recipe for a certain type of cake. Noo! We'd been buying our cakes from the last-chance cart in the back of our local superstore. Tasked with finding a creative solution, we decided against baking deserts in the grill and instead tried using the waffle iron.

It was a great success! If you've never tried it, then I highly encourage you to try baking your next batch of cupcakes, muffins, or even cinnamon rolls in the waffle maker. In the meantime, here are some variations to tempt your palate.

Hot Fudge Sundae Waffles

Chocolate cake waffles with a dollop of buttercream frosting, drizzled with chocolate syrup and mini chocolate chips, and a cherry on top. This also works with brownies instead of chocolate cake. This also works with vanilla ice cream instead of frosting.

Red Velvet Cake Waffles

Red velvet cake was my favorite before I developed an allergy to chocolate. Cream cheese frosting, drizzles of chocolate syrup, and white and dark chocolate garnish make it that much tastier.

Blueberry Muffin Waffles

Mmm. This version is topped with a trio of blueberry donut holes and fresh blueberries. Powdered sugar is another great topping for blueberry muffin waffles.

Waffle Ice Cream Sandwich

Back in 1825 French cooking author Juliet Archambault described rolling "little waffles" into a cone. And in Mrs. A.B. Marshall's Cookery Book she suggested baking the cornet-shaped dessert with almonds and then filling them with cream. It wasn't until the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri that George Bang, owner of the Banner Creamery, allegedly rolled up a waffle to hold patrons' ice cream when he ran out of cones. Now that you've enjoyed a bit of a history lesson, why not take waffle-and-ice-cream desserts to the next level and make yourself a waffle ice cream sandwich?

Waffle Cinnamon Rolls

And if you're a stick-in-the-mud who simply can't use waffles for non-traditional breakfast items (Yes, my kids have eaten cake-batter waffles with ice cream for breakfast. We've also eaten fried chicken, hot dogs, and Ramen noodles depending on how chaotic our mornings are.) then try cinnamon roll waffles. Use your own recipe or, if you're all thumbs in the kitchen like me, used the stuff from the can. Afterwards drizzle with cream cheese like normal and tada! You just made cinnamon roll waffles!

Not Just for Desserts and Pastries
Finally, you can use your waffle iron to make Panini sandwiches. Forget buying an expensive griddle or a trendy sandwich press! Last Sunday morning my family was short on time. My husband, who usually takes care of the big breakfast for weekends, hurt his arm at work so the cooking is up to me.

Using the stove top usually leads to trying to silence the smoke detector and/or remembering how to use the fire extinguisher so we've had to get creative in order to continue eating. I pulled out some refrigerator biscuits and various other ingredients like shredded cheese, cream cheese, pepperoni, lunch meat, mushrooms, and eggs. Flattening two of the biscuits, I put the ingredients in the center and flattened the edges with a metal fork - just like you would if you were baking pies. Then I cooked them in the waffle iron for about a minute, or until I could hear the cheese sizzling out from the sides.

Some of the waffle-iron Panini variations were:

• pepperoni and shredded mozzarella, sans sauce
• ham, pepper-jack cheese, and scrambled eggs
• grilled 3-cheese waffle sandwiches with cream cheese, American, and Colby-jack
• turkey, scrambled egg, and shredded Colby-jack cheese
• a leftover hamburger (crumbled), mushrooms, and Swiss cheese

It's one of the few times that breakfast was a hit with everybody in the family. With two teenage sons in the house and my weird food allergies that's not an easy task. And the best part was, nothing caught fire this time! A few nights later my sons requested we use the waffle iron to make cheesy garlic bread to accompany our dinner of spaghetti and meat balls, and my youngest son is bound and determined to try a macaroni and cheese waffle-iron-Panini sometime in the near future. One useful tip is this - use the pointy end of a wooden chopstick or skewer to scoop up that melted cheese from the waffle iron before it dries. You will be thankful that you did the next time you go to use it.

Thanks for checking out this edition of Tastefully Tuesday, where I offer simple ways to throw a creative touch on an otherwise traditional food. What waffle-inspired dessert creations would you like to try? (On my list is pumpkin waffles drizzled with homemade cream cheese frosting. Mmm.) Or maybe you've already tried some and have suggestions to share. I'd love to hear your comments!

Something Else Saturday - 7 Reasons to Shop Your Local Farmers' Market

We have one of the best Farmers' Markets in the world. It's cozy. I can buy more than just fresh produce. And I never fail to run into at least one other person I know. Here are 7 reasons to attend your own local Farmers' Market.

  

1. They eliminate the middle guy, which means higher financial returns for them because of direct selling, price control, and regular income. Our local market is right near the library, making Saturday morning trips into town multi-purposed. Families can visit the market, county offices, the library, and the local area museum all within the same two blocks.
2. Customers and producers give each other feedback. Customers know how their fruits and veggies are produced, and what their meat ate during its short lifespan. Really, wouldn't you rather have your cattle eating grass their entire lives than genetically modified corn that's loaded with antibiotics?
   
   
   
   
3. They're friends of the environment, reducing food miles, vehicle pollution, unnecessary packaging, noise, and fossil fuel use. And many of the farmers in my area use natural pesticides, which makes the foods safer to eat as well.
4. Not only does the consumer know where the food that's bought at a Farmers' Market comes from, but the vendors often can educate their customers on other things like how to prepare and cook fresh ingredients versus things you'd buy in the store.
   
   
    
5. Farmers' Markets encourage those who are unemployed (or underemployed) to tap into their talents. Our local market has people who, in addition to fruits, veggies, and meats, also sell honey, birdhouses made from gourds, jams and jellies, flowers, jewelry, salsa, pies, breads, dairy products, pottery, and locally roasted coffee beans. (Obligatory shout out to Black Dog Coffee, which helps get me through slow days.) They also feature a couple of hours of free, live music from local musicians such as our town's very own County Clerk, Jennifer Maghan. When people are successful at doing something new, it raises their self-confidence and encourages other people to re-evaluate their own skills.
   
   
      
6. They regenerate small towns, bringing new life to otherwise stagnant areas of cities and towns.
7. The most important reason to shop your local Farmers' Market is because it stimulates local economy and keeps your dollars in your town. It increases self-employment, encourages citizens to support local business, and even attracts new retailers. Our town has since enjoyed the opening of a new tavern bookstore. That's right, you can peruse new and used books while having a pint of ale, glass of wine, a panini sandwich or quesadilla and a soda, or a cup of Black Dog Coffee.
   
   

And there you have it! What do you like best about your local Farmers' Market? What do you wish they did differently? Can you think of other benefits? I'd love to hear all your comments!